The future of the World Council of Churches lies in playing to its strength of giving those less fortunate in the world a voice, a former Dutch church leader has told a gathering in Amsterdam to commemorate the WCC's 60th anniversary.

A service at Westminster Abbey has been held to mark the 60th anniversary of the National Health Service. During the event the Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute describing it as the "noblest manifestation of the character of our country".

Over 140 Christian leaders have made a unified call for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. Their declaration is published today in The Independent newspaper.

As Israel marks its 60th anniversary this May, for Israelis and Palestinians the conflict and the suffering continues, says Ben White. He believes that this landmark is an important opportunity for Christian leaders around the world to add their voices to a special call for a justice-based peace.

As the 60th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel approaches, Western church leaders are putting their names to a historic joint declaration calling for a just peace in Palestine/Israel. Desmond Tutu is among signatories.

The main governing body of the World Council of Churches is meeting in Geneva from 13-20 February, during which it will celebrate the 60th anniversary its 1948 founding. The WCC is now the world's largest Christian grouping.

This year the World Council of Churches, the primary post-war instrument of global church cooperation, is 60 years old. Sara Speicher explores its role and future in a radically changed world, and asks how churches today can negotiate togetherness and difference.